Most original sports mascots

Recently it was announced that the Carbon Dinos from Price, Utah were voted into the final round of a contest sponsored by USA Today, to find the best high school mascot in the nation.

The Chicago Cub who represented the Chicago baseball franchise is considered one of the first mascots in American sports history. The Cubs also made mascot history by being one the first teams to use an actual animal when they briefly experimented with bringing a live bear to baseball games.

Since then, sports mascots have ranged from fierce to historical to completely absurd.

If there is any lesson to be learned from this list, they it is to never let the fans choose the mascot. Here is a list of some of the most original sports mascots today.

Banana Slugs

Originally known as the Sea Lions, UC Santa Cruz students petitioned to officially change the mascot to the Banana Slugs.

After initial disapproval by campus administrators, students voted in favor of the mascot change in 1986.

Boll Weevils

In 1925 the President of the University of Arkansas at Monticello gave the schools its mascot in an impromptu speech at a pep rally.

"The only gosh-darned thing that ever licked the South was the boll weevil. Boll weevils! That’s what you are – Boll Weevils!”

Before the use of modern pesticides, boll weevils were known to decimate crops.

Fighting Pickles

Despite having no NCAA sanctioned athletic teams, the North Carolina School of the Arts adopted the mascot, the fighting pickle.

The mascot was chosen in 1972 through a student contest to name the football team.

Fighting Okra

Known officially as the Statesmen, Delta State University has adopted the unofficial mascot, the fighting okra.

The mascot was adopted in the late 80s as an ironic joke since many of the universities athletes believed that Statesmen was not particularly intimidating to opposing teams.

Fighting Artichokes

Originally, students at Scottsdale Community College chose the mascot Artie the Artichoke as a protest against the school spending money on sports programs instead of education.

The vote was binding and could not be overturned except through another student vote. Since then, students have overwhelmingly embraced Artie as their mascot.

Mad Ants

In 2007, the Fort Wayne Indiana minor league baseball team held a naming contest.

Out of the four finalists, Lightning, Fire, Coyotes, and Mad Ants, Mad Ants was chosen in part to honor General "Mad" Anthony Wayne, after whom the city is named.

Blowfish

Since 2006, amateur baseball team the Columbia Blowfish, led by their Mascot Blowie, have competed in the Coastal Plain League in South Carolina.

The team replaced the Capitol City Bombers, who left Columbia in 2004.

Keggy the Keg

Since dropping the Indian in 1971, Dartmouth College has had no official mascot instead choosing to go by The Big Green.

After a 2003 vote where 'no mascot' yielded the most votes, students at the campus humor magazine Jack-O-Lantern decided to create a mascot that "wasn't racist, biased or sexist, yet [is] entirely unacceptable."

In August, 2012 Yahoo! Sports ranked Keggy the Keg as the #1 Most Unique Mascot.

Stanford Tree

Many mistaken believe that Stanford's official mascot is the Cardinal bird, however, since dropping the Indian in 1972, Stanford has not had an official mascot instead being knows as the Cardinal after the school's colors.

In 1975 the university marching band performed a series of halftime shows humorously depicting potential replacement mascots including the Steaming Manhole, the French Fry, and the Tree.

The Tree was adopted by students as the unofficial mascot, and each year a new tree costume is created by the student chosen to wear it.

Zippy the Kangaroo

Zippy the Kangaroo is a female mascot for the University of Akron.

Zippy is named after zippers which were invented near Akron by Whitcomb L. Judson.

Papermakers

The Camas high school Papermakers in Washington are represented by their mascot, Mean Machine, a mechanical paper-rolling machine.

The name papermakers comes from the areas history of making paper goods.

Sand Gnats

The Savannah Sand Gnats are a minor league baseball team based in Georgia.

Originally known as the Savannah Cardinals, the team changed its name in 1996.

IronPigs

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs are a minor league baseball team based in Pennsylvania.

The IronPig mascot is named after pig iron, used in the manufacturing of steel in Lehigh Valley.

Biscuits

The Montgomery Biscuits are a minor league baseball team based in Alabama.

The team name was selected from a fan contest. During games, biscuits are shot from an air cannon into the stands.

Gauchos

Originally known as the Roadrunners, UC Santa Barbara adopted the nickname 'Gauchos' after the 1927 film 'The Gaucho.'

Previously known as the Soundmen, Baymen, Warriors and Patriots, Stony Brook University adopted the name Seawolves in 1994.

A seawolf is a mythical creature from the Tlingit tribe which brings good luck to those able to see it.

Eutectics

Once named the most esoteric mascot by ESPN, the St. Louis College of Pharmacy is known as the Eutectics.

According to the university "the 'Eutectic' describes the scientific process of two solids being combined to form a liquid. A common term in pharmacy, it is the perfect metaphor for the St. Louis College of Pharmacy’s intercollegiate athletic program—combining athletics and a demanding academic program."

Anteaters

In 1965, students at UC Irvine chose Anteater as the school's mascot with 56% of the vote.

The Anteater moniker was inspired by "Peter the Anteater" from the Johnny Hart comic strip, B.C.

Gorloks

Webster University adopted the Gorloks as a combination of the intersecting streets Gore and Lockwood in Old Webster district of St. Louis.

The mascot design was chosen in a contest where students submitted drawings as well as a description of what they thought a Gorlok looked like.

Ichabods

Washburn University was originally established as Lincoln College in 1865 by Ichabod Washburn.

In 1868 Washburn gave the university $25,000 and the school was renamed in his honor. The mascot, which was created in 1938, pays homage to the university's founder.

Trolls

The precise origin of Trinity Christian College's mascot is unclear.

However, many students and faculty have reported troll sightings under a bridge near the campus.

Galloping Ghosts

Kaukauna High School in Wisconsin are also known as the Galloping Ghosts.

The name is possibly a reference to hall of fame football player Red Grange who played for the Chicago Bears and was known as the Galloping Ghost.

Cornjerkers

Hoopeston Area High School in Illinios goes by the nickname Cornjerkers, a reference to corn harvesters who picked corn before the invention of mechanized corn pickers.

Criminals

In 1910, Yuma High School in Arizona was destroyed by a fire. For the next three years, the school used the Yuma Territorial Prison, which was closed, to hold classes until a new school could be built.

In 1914 after winning the state football championship, the opposing team dubbed the Yuma players 'criminals' and the name stuck.

Millionaires

In 1869 when WIlliamsport high school first started classes, the city had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world.

However, the Millionaires nickname was not adopted officially until the 1930s.

Awesome Blossoms

Originally nicknamed the Blossoms, Blooming Prairie High School in Minnesota got a new mascot named the 'Fighting Flower' created to look more ferocious.

However when people started referring to the new mascot as awesome, the name stuck.

Syrupmakers

Cairo High School in Georgia is located in the heart of 'Syrup City,' so named because of the Roddenberry's syrup plant was that was formerly located there.

The school is nicknamed the Syrupmakers in reference to the town's sugary roots.

Nimrods

Watersmeet township school adopted the nickname the Nimrods after Nimrod in the Old Testament.

The schools unusual mascot was the subject of a series of ESPN commercials and a documentary titled 'Nimrod Nation' played at the Sundance film festival.

Cobbers

Concordia College in Minnesota is also known as the Cobbers.

The name was derived from "Corncobs," a derogatory nickname given to the Concordia students in 1893.

Poets

Known as the Poets, Whittier College takes its name and mascot from John Greenleaf Whittier, a renown Quaker poet.